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Tuesday, 23 September 2014

So, I've been an awful spendthrift lately, but there's been one piece that's more than earned its cost-per-use... this little mint green crop top. Turns out, unlike things I bought this year I thought I'd be able to wear with lots of things (I'm looking at you, polka dot skirt), this little beauty genuinely did go with everything. And the colour and style automatically make any outfit a bit brighter, hence in this case where I teamed it with a couple of darker, more wintry prints. And anything that helps me wear cat and dog print together can do no wrong in my eyes...

Some credit also needs to be given to the beautiful location for these photos - B and I originally intended to go elsewhere, but we parked up right outside the entrance to this college in Cambridge... Me, spotting it had an open gate and no one guarding it, thought it was just asking for me to sneak inside and prance around in front of a camera. Cue this gorgeous scenery and the added bonus that as it was a weekend, none of the students were around and I managed to take these photos - and even the short video (!) below - in complete peace. Bliss! What a beautiful city this can be.

And if you're going to do a shoot in a Cambridge college, what better bag to bring along than my favourite book-shaped one...

While we were out, B had fun experimenting with an app that took Super 8 style film on his phone. If you've been reading long enough, you'll remember a real Super 8 video I put up, which, as in this case, also starred yours truly. I'm not a natural on camera (and absolutely loathe videos of myself unless they're short and silent like the below), but I'm the only willing subject B has so he has to make do (and I kinda owe him for all the time he spends doing things for this blog!). Something a bit different for a blog post, I guess!

Tuesday, 16 September 2014

This post could also be called 'My new favourite lipstick'. It probably seems that all of the lipsticks I review on here are my favourites, but this one I really love because not only is it a really unique shade, but the application is different to anything else I've tried for a truly matte lipstick. And I was so skeptical... but it really works, this is probably the most matte lipstick I own!

I've been wanting to try the Lime Crime Velvetines for a long time, but they're so hard to get hold of for a reasonable price in the UK. Finally, Love Make Up got some more of this shade in stock and the classic Red Velvet and I bought both... but Red Velvet I hated, so I'm leaving that one for now. (I may review it, especially if you'd like to see it, but it just looks awful on me!)

First thing you'll notice is that it applies like a lip gloss...

But dries to a perfect matte! It's like magic...

Pros

Just the most beautiful coral-red colour - and I believe a dead-ringer for the now discontinued Strawberry Suede in the Revlon matte range, which I've wanted forever

Really does dry to a complete matte - great for a retro lip

Very long-wearing - and it really hardly transfers at all once it's dried

Application is very tricky at first (this is a slight con too) - but once I'd wiped the excess off the brush before applying and practised a couple of times, I now find it easier to apply than a lot of my lipsticks as the 'gloss brush' helps with precision

As you'll see from the above, despite the unusual application it's possible to get a sharp line - and it doesn't feather so you don't really need lipliner

Cons

So hard to get hold of in the UK and pretty much available exclusively online from what I can work out... so might be hard to try before you buy

And on that note, it's not cheap and in the UK you'll probably end up paying more than you should

It is long-wearing, but it isn't infallible... it will start to disappear after a meal...

... and I find trying to touch it up quite difficult! The first application is lovely and goes on smooth, but topping up over the first makes a weird texture and can look patchy - this is probably the biggest con for me on this list; I tend to wear it until it rubs off a bit then remove the whole lot

For me, the pros are enough to make me love this and no doubt re-purchase in the future - the colour and finish are more than enough as far as I'm concerned. If you can get hold of one to try it before you buy it's worth doing to see if the application and shade work for you...

If you've ever tried one of these, I'm curious to see what you thought of it?

Saturday, 6 September 2014

It's one of those crazy weeks so far. Work has been hectic and the weekend started in much the same way as I helped my housemate move out last night. It's been 3 and a half years of a happy home with her and a part of me is so sad, but another part of me is very excited as my boyfriend, B, is moving in! In the weeks leading up to this weekend what I've basically learned is that most of my money will disappear on home stuff and I've already spent a small fortune - so it's fitting that this outfit consists of things I've mostly had for a while! (And hopefully, once a few more things are in place, I can show you what we're doing with the house.)

This outfit, while kinda dressy, is also super comfy - which is what I aim for in a lot of my weekend wear. Most of the outfit photos you see on this blog are taken after I've walked around outside for a while, so if it's on here, it normally really is what I wear for an entire day - in this case they were taken before doing some chores in the town centre. A while ago I remember reading a post where the blogger said that the outfits they feature are more dressy than they'd usually wear... I always find myself thinking about that now. I'm one of those people who overdresses for the supermarket, so I think I can honestly say I don't do that here! If you've got a blog, would you say you post up pictures that are more 'best' than 'everyday'? For the record, I don't think there's anything wrong if you do the former - our blogs are what we want them to be, after all! I think this thinking fits with recent ponderings on how my style has changed since starting this blog... it's certainly not made me more of a casual dresser, despite this post's title!